Defending Nextel Cup Series champion Tony Stewart will be seen in several new commercials during the Daytona 500 on Sunday. Credit: Special to NASCAR.COM

NASCAR stars invade commercial airwaves

The Daytona 500 is known as "The Great American Race." For NASCAR sponsors, the start of a new season has become a great American marketing event. And for NASCAR drivers, it's the venue for showcasing their "off-road" skills to promote their sponsors in new commercials.

Nearly 20 NASCAR drivers will star in new during the broadcast of the Daytona 500 (1:30 p.m. ET on NBC). From Tony Stewart explaining how Home Depot-inspired home renovations led to the 2005 Championship, to Michael Waltrip getting an unexpected Domino's Pizza delivery, to Carl Edwards introducing the new Ford Fusion into the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, the stars of NASCAR will keep fans tuned to the Great American Race during commercial breaks.

VOTE ON SUNDAY Cast a vote for your favroite Daytona 500 commercial during Sunday's race, and check back Monday to see where it ranked.  •   To learn more, click here

Other NASCAR drivers scheduled to appear in commercials during the Daytona 500 include: Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Dale Jarrett, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Bobby Labonte, Mark Martin, Jamie McMurray, Kyle Petty and Elliott Sadler.

The commercials will be available for NASCAR fans to view on a special ad showcase on NASCAR.COM starting Feb. 19. Fans will be encouraged to vote for their favorite spot.

"NASCAR sponsors use our athletes in commercials to drive their business," said Steve Phelps, vice president of marketing at NASCAR. "Drivers resonate with fans, allowing sponsors to tap into our fan's legendary brand loyalty. With drivers in so many spots, it makes for a continuous viewing experience.

"NASCAR fans say they enjoy seeing their favorite drivers in the commercials, and that helps make NASCAR TiVo-proof," Phelps said.

The marketers' adage seems to be, get a chuckle on Sunday, sell on Monday. Clearly, humor rules the new campaigns.

Coca-Cola, the official soft drink of NASCAR, will poke fun at the commercialization of the sport and the drivers' habit of chugging their favorite soft drink on-camera. The Coke family of drivers are seen swigging everywhere from a dating show to The Weather Channel.

NASCAR Nextel Cup Series champion Tony Stewart flexes his acting chops in a great new spot from The Home Depot. The champ, with tongue firmly in cheek and bemused crew chief Greg Zipadelli at his side, explains how Home Depot-inspired home renovations led to five wins in 2005 and the NASCAR Nextel Cup title. And yes, bricks play a role.

Ryan Newman plays the merry prankster -- using Gillette's new Fusion razor to carve the number 12 into the stubble of the sleeping "Gillette Young Guns" -- Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Jamie McMurray and Carl Edwards. The drivers awaken to say in exasperation, "Newman!" a la Jerry Seinfeld.

During UPS's long-running campaign, fans have asked Dale Jarrett to "race the truck." Dale finally relents, with hilarious results. During a practice lap, the Big Brown Truck nearly blows away a boy holding his father's hand in the grandstands. Another spot shows the truck seriously overshooting the pit box in a wicked smoky skid when attempting to stop. UPS created a custom truck with special engine, seat, roll cage, chassis and Goodyear tires that can cruise at 150 mph. During the season, UPS will extend the campaign with at least five commercials.

Sprint NEXTEL breaks a new "flip" spot with Carl Edwards and Mark Martin. As fans at the track ask Carl to do his trademark back flip, Mark Martin pops up from behind his car. Using his NEXTEL phone, he Walkie Talkies a stunt double, who appears to do an hilarious gymnastic tumbling routine over to the No. 6 car. Mark then pops up, stunning the crowd.

Manufacturers supporting NASCAR will show off their drivers and vehicles. Chevrolet will break two new spots with their top drivers. In the unforgettable "Toast," Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson are seated in a restaurant, demurely toasting one another's successes. When it's time to drink, they dump their drinks on their heads, and Dale Jr. shouts, "OK, time to eat!" In "Office," an executive desperately looks for a place for Chevy's 25th Manufacturer's Championship trophy. Additionally, car aficionado Jay Leno will also drive a new Corvette Pace Car at the Daytona 500.

The Fusion is Ford's first new production vehicle and NASCAR racecar to debut in the same year since 1968. Carl Edwards and his mom will discuss Carl's medical condition -- "Overactive Adrenaline Disorder" -- which, of course, the Ford Fusion can cure. Ford drivers Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, and Elliott Sadler will appear in the campaign in ads to air during future NASCAR races.

Toyota continues the "Dear Darrell" campaign by showing Waltrip's daredevil response to a fan who asks if DW does his own stunts. Darrell answers the fan's question by taking her boyfriend along for the ride on a harrowing trip of near misses in his race Tundra -- culminating in a jump through a massive ball of flames.

DW isn't the only retired drive to make a commercial appearance. The King, Richard Petty, appears with son Kyle and Tony Stewart in "Mr. Petty's Neighborhood." It's a place where everything is fast -- the lights are always green, the family dog is a greyhound, pizza deliveries come via hot rods, and the only pain reliever is Goody's Headache Powders.

Michael Waltrip gets a delivery of his own -- in a humorous Domino's Pizza: spot showing pizza deliveries happening all over the country ... and in Michael's pit. The spot promotes a deal in which Domino's Pizza customers ordering the "555 Deal" on race day and adding a 2 liter bottle of Coca-Cola to their order will receive a free 30 day trial of NASCAR.COM's Raceday Scanner. With the "555 Deal", Domino's customers can purchase three medium one-topping pizzas for just $5 each.

The campaign for Sears, NASCAR's official tools, comically shows the bad things that happen when using inferior tools. In "Ball Return," during the mock TV broadcast of a bowling tournament, the alley's ball return malfunctions, shooting bowling balls all over the alley to create widespread havoc. The camera then zeroes in on a maintenance worker who clearly wasn't using Craftsman tools.

No matter what happens on track, the Daytona 500 will be a big day for Kevin Harvick in spots for Coke, Sunoco, Reese's, and GM Goodwrench.

In Sunoco's new spot, a family takes Harvick on vacation. They go bike riding, golfing, swimming, leading to the tag line, "You can't take Kevin Harvick on vacation with you, but you can take his fuel."

For Reese's Peanut Butter Cups with caramel, Harvick crashes into IRL driver Tony Kanaan -- while walking down a street distracted by headphones and eating a Reese's. Kanaan is carrying a labeled jar of caramel and talking on his cell phone. When the drivers round a corner and bump into each other, and Harvick inadvertently dunks his Reese's into Kanaan's jar of caramel.

In his GM Goodwrench spot Harvick takes his car to a GM Goodwrench Service center while battling traffic that's everyday, except stock cars are vying for open asphalt.

NASCAR will air new image campaigns, including a spot for NASCAR Day starring Will Ferrell, who will play a NASCAR driver in the summer 2006 SONY Pictures comedy Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Ferrell argues that NASCAR Day should be proclaimed a Federal Holiday, thus allowing everyone to skip work. NASCAR Day, May 19, is a nationwide philanthropic effort that raises funds for the newly established NASCAR Foundation.

In addition, NASCAR is showing its support for Black History Month by showcasing some of the accomplishments of blacks throughout its history and demonstrating its expanding diversity efforts today. The spot features children from the Urban Youth Racing School (UYRS) in Philadelphia

While NASCAR drivers would all like to star in the spot fans vote the best on NASCAR.COM, what happens on the track, of course, is what matters most on Sunday.

"The Daytona 500 is NASCAR's most prestigious event," NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France explained. "Once you win Daytona it stays with you forever, and defines you as a driver. You really can't go down as one of the all-time greats without winning Daytona."